Bodies of 2 Libya missile victims return

Star Online Report

Mohammad Azharul Haque (R), joint secretary of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry, talks to the reporters on Friday after handing over the bodies of two brothers, to their father (L), who died in Libya missile attack. Photo: TV grab

The bodies of two Bangladeshi siblings killed in a missile attack at a labour camp in Benghazi of Libya on June 22, were handed over to their family this morning. The victims’ father, Abdul Kuddus received the bodies at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital around 4:30am. A flight of Turkish airlines carried the bodies -- Swapan Miah, 34, and his younger brother Milon Sayal, 32 -- Zahid Anowar, assistant director of Wage Earners Welfare Board of the expatriates’ welfare ministry told The Daily Star. Md Mohsin Chowdhury, director of the board of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment ministry, and Mohammad Azharul Haque, joint secretary of the ministry handed the victims’ father two cheques of Tk 35,000 each at the airport. Swapan and Milon were killed when a missile was blasted in the labour camp where 32 Bangladeshis had been in sleep. Meanwhile, a meeting of 12 labour sending countries was held yesterday in Tripoli where the representatives of those countries expressed their concern over recent attacks on the foreign workers.

The impact of a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) marks the wall of a building on the road leading to the airport in Tripoli on May 19, 2014 following attacks by armed groups the previous day. Clashes broke out near the interim parliament in the capital, after a convoy of armoured vehicles entered the city from the airport road and headed for the General National Congress (GNC), adding to turmoil in Libya where a rogue general has launched an offensive against Islamists in the city of Benghazi. Photo: Getty Images

Ahsan Kibria Siddiqui, first secretary (labour) at Bangladesh embassy in Tripoli said the labour sending countries would inform the Libyan government of their concern about their workers’ security.